As the Federal government considers significant new mandates on an already struggling automobile industry, problems loom. Legislation has been introduced in both the House and the Senate mandating that by 2012 fifty percent of vehicles sold by American car makers would be Flex Fuel Vehicles (FFVs), that number rising to eighty-percent by 2015.For starters, no where in the legislation does it provide for consumer demand. Time was when markets not government drove American industry and we did pretty well. American car buyers should also note that they are, more or less, being mandated as to what they will be allowed to buy. And that's only one reason for concern over the proposed legislation.One has to dig below the mostly glowing news reports on Flex Fuels to understand the true complexity of the issue. See here for example.Two years of performance have given some village officials in the northwest suburbs enough' information to evaluate gas-efficient hybrid vehicles they bought...(Read Full Post)